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"I don't just write 'Good job' on an assignment," she says. "I write, 'John, you did a wonderful job.' I ask them about their family reunion, recent honeymoon, or new baby." Such personalized responses, she says, can make a big difference in a student's learning experience. 10. Being present. In physical So, students new to the process may need more handholding than others. Professors should post instructions multiple times in multiple places— via e-mail, on announcement boards, and in chat rooms. When teaching across time zones, instruc- tors also must take extra care to avoid confusion. LeBeau keeps two clocks in her office, one set to East- ern time and one to Pacific. Kretsch specifies time and time zone when posting deadlines or scheduling calls to students. 9. Building relationships. In face- to-face courses, professors can see when students smile, frown, nod, or take notes. Online, however, profes- sors are teaching blind, say Krestch and LeBeau. By personalizing com- munications, professors can engage with students more effectively. At the beginning of each course, LeBeau has students participate in an introductory discussion where they share something about them- selves. She takes notes about who is getting married, who is pregnant, or who is in the military. "If students are taking the course from Afghani- stan, I'll take care of them differ- ently. I'll be more flexible with dead- lines than I am with students who are on more regular schedules." LeBeau also stresses the impor- tance of using the students' names. classrooms, students can ask teach- ers to expand on a point in real time, and they can turn to each other for help. But ill-prepared or distant online instructors can leave students adrift. LeBeau refers to a time when she was asked to take over an online course midway through the semester. When she reviewed the course history, she saw that "the professor had been nonexistent." She e-mailed a letter to students apologizing for the change. She let students know, via e-mail and an announcement, that she would be available during online Q&As, where they could ask her questions. "Within a week, the whole demeanor of the class changed," LeBeau says. "At the end of the semester, students sent e-mails thank- ing me for taking over the course. That change happened because, as the instructor, I was present." To access documents, PowerPoint slides, and blog postings from the "Training the Trainers" seminar, visit trainingthetrainers2010. pbworks.com. To view other presen- tations at Cengage's 2010 Confer- ence, visit www.cengagesites.com/ academic/?site=3150§ion=1. For information about Cengage's Course360, visit www.cengage.com/ course360. BizEd NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010 57 DAVE CUTLER/CORBIS